Campuses at
West Morley Primary School
North Balga Primary School
The North East Language Development Centre is a centre of excellence that provides
specialist early direct intervention (for students with specific language impairments),
indirect outreach services that build staff capacity (for schools and networks) and
research and development services in the area of speech and language and
associated literacy.
The ultimate purpose is to return students to mainstream education as effective
communicators who are able to reach their full potential.
NORTH EAST METROPOLITAN
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Administration: 18 View Street DIANELLA WA 6059
Telephone: 9275 5511 Fax: 9275 5319
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT 2013 : An OVERVIEW
The North East Language Development Centre
provides both direct and indirect services in the area
of speech and language. The direct service is
provided to students enrolled at the school while the
indirect service is one that works to build capacity of
staff in mainstream schools in the North East
Metropolitan and Wheat-belt Education Regions. In
2013, there were 231 students with specific language
impairment enrolled at the Kindergarten to Year 1
classrooms at the North East Language Development
Centre. At the end of the year, 99 students returned to
mainstream schools.
The LDC interdisciplinary team comprises dedicated
teaching staff, speech pathologists, education
assistants, school psychologist, office and
administration staff and outside agencies. Using
collaboratively developed oral language and literacy
programs and delivering programs using the explicit
teaching model, the staff work collaboratively to
maximise the learning outcomes of students. This is
evidenced in the analysis of assessment data,
presented in this report.
During 2013, the focus was on beginning the process
of reviewing and updating all language programs to
ensure they remain abreast of current research and
best practice teaching. In addition, there was a strong
focus on classroom pedagogy incorporating the
Hanen principles and explicit teaching methods. At the
end of the year, 16 staff (teachers and education
assistants) had completed the evidence-based Hanen
training program, Learning Language and Loving It.
The first of the language areas to be reviewed were
Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Spelling. All
classrooms are now implementing the new program
which has been mapped onto the Australian
Curriculum.
The Language Development Centre includes an
Outreach Team, responsible for the provision of the
indirect service. The team supports approximately 175
public primary schools with a focus on improving oral
language and literacy learning for students with
language difficulties, difference and disorders. The
emphasis is on sustainable capacity building of
teacher, school and system to deliver high quality
learning opportunities. A report of this service is
included.
The strong relationship that has developed with Curtin
and Edith Cowan Universities has continued. In 2013,
4 students from Curtin and 2 Speech Pathology
students from Edith Cowan Universities were placed
in the LDC. An additional 12 Curtin students The
Outreach Team continued to supervise final year
speech pathology students at Moorditj NCC, providing
an alternative model of service delivery for the
school.12 final year Speech Pathology students were
supervised by the Outreach Service at Moorditj.
As parents/carers are respected partners with the
school in the educational development of their
children, we continued to inform and support them by
hosting numerous parent workshops throughout the
year. The combination of day and evening workshops
across both LDC sites enhanced their opportunities to
attend.
The sessions focus on working with
parents/caregivers to increase their understandings of
the oral language areas and to support their ability to
develop their children’s skills within the home. All
workshops were well attended and parents
commented that the information and activities were
useful and relevant.
I would like to sincerely thank members of the School
Council for their support in 2013. Through
collaboration with school staff and the school
community, the School Council agreed that the school
should participate in the IPS process during 2014.
In 2013, the hard working P&C worked tirelessly all
year and donated over $8 000 to the school. These
funds will be used to purchase resources for the
school. The staff would like to thank the executive of
the 2013 P&C for their dedication and the families of
the North East Language Development Centre for
their support.
Rosemary Simpson
Principal, 2013.
2
SCHOOL, BELIEFS &
PRINCIPLES
Our shared values, beliefs and behaviours are the
foundation upon which our approaches to teaching
and learning are built. They are the underpinnings of
the programs and professional learning within the
Language Development Centre and that is shared
across mainstream schools through the Outreach
Service.
School Purpose
The North East Metropolitan Language Development
Centre early intensive intervention, outreach and
research and development services are focussed on
maximising the learning of students with language
disadvantage, difficulties or disorder.
SCHOOL VISION
Early Intensive Intervention (Direct Services)
All students maximise their academic and social
learning
outcomes
through
evidence-based
intervention strategies delivered by highly effective
staff.
Outreach Service
All public schools in the North Metropolitan Region
(East) and the Wheatbelt have the capacity to
maximise the language and learning outcomes of all
students.
Research and Development
The North East LDC conducts and supports the
research, development and trialling of evidence-based
practices for speech, language and associated literacy
within the LDC classrooms and by establishing
collaborative partnerships with schools and
universities.
BELIEFS
At the North East Language Development Centre staff
believe that:
 Early intervention is crucial for children with
language disadvantage, difficulties or
disorder.
 Decisions based on evidence and current
research will promote student success in
language and literacy.
 Social skills are an important aspect of
development that determines school and
future life success
 The interdisciplinary team that exists in the
LDC plays a critical role in supporting
students and program development.
 Families are respected and valued as
partners in education and treated with
compassion.
BELIEFS EXPLAINED
EARLY INTERVENTION
As a centre of excellence for early childhood
education, it is the school’s responsibility to provide
the best experiences, knowledge and opportunity for
growth in an effort to contribute to the students’
ultimate success in life. The input in the early years is
vital to form neural pathways which support lifelong
learning, behaviour and health (McCain & Mustard,
1999). Research demonstrates that early language
intervention programs within Language Development
Centres have had a significant impact on children
experiencing language difficulties (Fletcher, 2005).
Within the NE LDC the placement of students in the
early years is prioritised from Kindergarten through to
Year 1. A highly engaging, evidenced-based and
developmentally appropriate language intervention
program is provided to students daily. Every moment
of the school day, including play opportunities, is used
as a language learning opportunity, so that not a
moment is wasted in this critical time for language
learning.
The highest quality and most suitable resources are
purchased, developed and used effectively. These
resources are shared with other schools.
DECISIONS BASED ON EVIDENCE AND
CURRENT RESEARCH
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a process in which
decisions arise from the integration of current
evidence, personal experience and student needs.
Within the NE LDC, EBP is used as a decision making
process that guides the selection and evaluation of
assessment and intervention approaches. Current
research from speech pathology and educational
disciplines informs program development, target
setting and classroom pedagogy that improves
student success in language and literacy.
At the school level, collection of data in each language
area informs decision making and school
effectiveness is evaluated by analysing data at the
individual, class, cohort and whole school levels. The
data provides insight into areas that are working well
and those that require improvement.
As part of the NE LDC’s commitment to ensuring that
programs and practices are founded in current
research, strong partnerships have been built and are
maintained with local universities.
The school
participates in research relevant to both disciplines.
Within the school a learning culture is encouraged and
fostered with a commitment to ongoing professional
learning for all staff. Ongoing professional learning
opportunities are provided regularly to assist staff and
parents throughout the school year. NEMLDC staff
demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning by
3
participating in informal, formal and self directed
professional learning opportunities. This provides
opportunities for staff to develop deeper knowledge,
skills and personal attributes. Staff remain abreast of
system initiatives and priorities and continue to pursue
their knowledge in the area of speech and language.
SOCIAL SKILLS
“Social skills are the ultimate determining factor in the
child’s future success, happiness and acceptance”
(Lavoie, 2005, p. xxxi). “Emotional intelligence” is now
being seen as a critical skill and perhaps even more
important than “academic intelligence”. Research has
repeatedly confirmed the link between language
difficulties and social skills difficulties. A holistic,
proactive and preventative approach to building
student resilience and social and emotional
competencies is in place.
The NE LDC provides a learning environment that is
mutually positive, caring and supportive where
students work co-operatively with staff and each other.
The staff within the LDC model appropriate skills to
the students through their interpersonal relations with
each other and with the parents/carers. The effective
social skills program is based on a psycho-educational
behavioural approach and is implemented daily.
Explicitly taught social skills are reinforced throughout
the school day and as opportunities arise or are
created at play times. The theory and research within
the Social Skills program underpins the behaviour
management policies and procedures. The behaviour
management procedures are followed consistently by
all staff. Parents and the school work together
wherever possible on significant issues related to
student behaviour.
THE INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM MODEL
Within the NEMLDC, teachers, education assistants,
the school psychologist and speech pathologists work
together as collaborative partners. Knowledge, values,
viewpoints and skills from each discipline are
integrated using collaboration, communication and
interpersonal skills. All new teachers and education
assistants complete an induction program and training
in the areas of oral language. On-going collegiate
support is provided by coaches and mentors.
Our education assistants are integral to the program
and work in the classrooms to support teachers with
the delivery of the educational programs.
Teachers meet with their speech pathologist to
collaboratively set learning goals for each student in
their class. Once these goals have been developed
the teachers meet with the parents to share and
discuss these goals.
PARENT AS PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
The NE LDC aims to empower parents/caregivers to
contribute to their children’s learning by developing
the skills to support the development of speech,
language and communication skills.
As parents are their children’s first and most important
teachers, it is important to develop effective
collaborative working relationships with them.
Successful partnerships are based on empathy, trust
and honesty. Parents within the school community
have different levels of knowledge and skills related to
speech and language. It is imperative that they all
have appropriate opportunities and guidance to
support them to help their children achieve their goals.
In 2013, five workshops were developed and
presented. They included workshops for parents
presented by the Speech Pathologists, Transition
workshops for teachers from mainstream school
receiving LDC students and Transition workshops for
LDC parents with students leaving the LDC. All new
parents, with students offered places for enrolment in
2014 were invited to attend an information session
and follow-up meetings. With the exception of one
parent in exceptional circumstances, all new
parents/carers attended the sessions prior to
accepting the offer of placement for their
child/children.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The North East Metropolitan Language Development
Centre has a set of negotiated guiding principles that
underpins our actions and decisions. These include:
 A collaborative approach with respectful and
supportive partnerships
 An evidence-based approach to curriculum
development
 An differentiated approach that caters for
individual needs
 An motivating, interactive and holistic
approach to teaching and learning
 Empowerment of all stakeholders through
professional learning
4
STAFF AND STUDENTS - A SNAPSHOT
REFERRAL AND ENROLMENT TRENDS
STAFF ATTENDANCE
EXITING STUDENTS AND TRANSITION
TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS
During 2013 231 students from Kindergarten to Year
1, were enrolled in the NE LDC.
Staff attendance records indicate that absences from
school are mostly for medical reasons and
absenteeism is low.
During 2013, 99 students exited to over 57 schools,
mostly in the North Metropolitan Education Region.
During Term 4 students were offered the option of a
Transition day at their mainstream school.
Professional learning for the 2014 mainstream
teachers of exiting students was provided by the LDC
early in Term 1, 2014. From the 57 schools to which
they exited, 37 teachers attended the PL session.
All teaching staff members meet the professional
requirements to teach in Western Australian public
schools and can be found on the public register of
teachers of the Western Australian College of
Teaching. Several staff members have completed
specialist qualifications in the area of educational
support and post-graduate studies including Masters
of Education.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
In addition to this, 16 teachers and education
assistants have been trained in Learning Language
and Loving It, incorporating the Hanen principles into
their interactions with students.
Records indicate that NEMLDC student attendance
was slightly lower than the State average for 2013.
Average attendance for NEMLDC children for 2013
was 91.9%.
The graph below shows NEMLDC student attendance
as compared WA Public School attendance for the
last 3 years. As can be seen, NEMLDC attendance
(blue) has fallen just below the state average (yellow)
each year.
NEMLDC Attendance 2011 - 2013 (better than 80% attendance)
NEMLDC
WA Public Schools
100.0%
90.0%
Percentage of Students
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
92.7%
92.6%
92.3%
91.0%
92.6%
91.9%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2011
2012
2013
Year
Many of the students with severe attendance issues
have taken prolonged holidays overseas. It is
Department policy that families are encouraged to
organise holidays during school vacation times. As a
student’s time at the Language Centre is limited to a
maximum of 3 years, it is vital that they attend school
as often as possible to optimise access to our
program.
Being a short term educational facility, the importance
of regular attendance is stressed with parents before
they accept a position at the school. Regular
reminders are put into the school newsletters and all
unexplained absences are followed up with parents,
via a letter. Cases conferences are held in the case of
continued issues around attendance.
5
ASSESSMENT,
REPORTING 2013
MONITORING
&
The Australian Curriculum sets out what all students
should know, understand, value and be able to do as
a result of the programs they undertake.
System and National initiatives are considered and
incorporated into whole school planning. The school
strategic plan, endorsed by School Council, outlines
the school implementation plan for the next 3 years
and includes the priorities that are determined through
data collected from assessments.
Staff members at the Language Development Centre
consider oral language as fundamental to all learning
areas. Sound data collection and management is
used to inform the system, school, staff and parents
about student development and progress in all
learning areas. Appropriate data enables teachers to
set, plan and monitor goals. It also enables the school
to monitor overall progress towards the achievement
of age appropriate standards.
The school’s
assessment and monitoring processes focus on
identifying and monitoring individual strengths and
areas for development so that goals and learning
programs can be specifically targeted.
Data is collected and analysed at the individual, class,
cohort and whole school levels for staff to consider
when planning for whole school improvement.
In 2014, the NEMLDC is completing a review of
assessment procedures, with guidance from Speech
Pathology academic staff from Curtin University, who
have expert knowledge in the area of SLI. The review
of assessment procedures will inform changes to the
assessment process including; the time that
assessments are completed; which assessments are
used; how assessment results are used and how the
assessment results are reported to parents. The aim
is that the NEMLDC is able to reduce assessment
time to ensure that resources are used effectively and
that there is less disruption to the classroom; teachers
are using all available data to inform planning; and
outcomes of the intervention at the time of exit is
evaluated using valid and reliable measures.
the NEMLDC in 2008, the Narrative and Expressive
Language Grids were again used to collect and
analyse narrative data in collaboration with the class
teacher.
Area
Assessment
Literacy (Phonological
Awareness, Phonics &
Spelling)
NEMLDC sound/Letter
assessment;
NEMLDC phonological
awareness assessment;
Words Their Way Spelling
Analysis (Year 1only)
Informal NEMLDC semantics
assessment
Informal NEMLDC narrative
assessment;
NEMLDC narrative grid
Renfrew Action Picture Test;
Informal NEMLDC narrative
assessment
Wiig Assessment of Basic
Concepts;
Informal NEMLDC
comprehension assessment;
NEMLDC comprehension grid
NEMLDC Social Skills Checklist;
Talkabout for Children Social
Skills assessment
On Entry on-line interview (PP)
First steps diagnostic tasks K-1
Semantics
Narrative
Syntax
Comprehension
Social skills
Maths
In 2013, the Kindergarten, Pre-Primary and Year 1
students all showed consistent improvement in all
areas of oral narrative, as indicated by Figure 3, 4
and 5.
Figure 3. Oral Narrative Results – Year 1
ORAL NARRATIVE
Narrative ability forms the link between oral language
and literacy. Narrative skills are integral to our
communication with others.
As part of the NEMLDC annual assessment cycle, a
narrative sample is collected through a story-retell to
form ability groups and set annual group and
individual goals for the students. First implemented at
6
Figure 4. Oral Narrative Results – Pre-Primary
SYNTAX & GRAMMAR
Difficulties in applying grammatical rules such as
using accurate syntax (sentence structure) and
morphology (word structure) are a common attribute
of children with Specific Language Impairment.
At the NEMLDC the Renfrew Action Picture Test
(RAPT) is used to obtain a measure of students’
grammar and compare the results to age appropriate
norms.
Figure 5. Expressive Language – Kindergarten
The Year 1 and Pre Primary students showed
pleasing gains in their narrative skills, reflecting
explicit teaching of narrative skills, use of the story
grammar icons and development of comprehension
skills that help underpin narrative skill development.
Areas of particular strength for Year 1 and PrePrimary students were their stage of narrative
development, inclusion of story grammar elements
and use of character referencing. Areas of least
improvement included some microstructure elements
(connectors, adverbials, elaborated noun phrase and
character speech).
The beginning and end of year RAPT results for
Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students show pleasing
improvements in their grammar. These results
however, fall below the mean score of children with
typical language development.
Syntax has been a priority area in recent years and
will continue to be a priority in 2014. A new Syntax
and Morphology Framework and Scope and
Sequence have been created, with links to the
Australian National Curriculum, to assist in target
setting and planning for the classroom. In 2014 the
Spelling Program in Year 1 and 2 will include explicit
teaching of morphology and syntax in the written form.
Further Professional Development and workshop
sessions will be run with staff to ensure all teachers
are targeting syntax and morphology explicitly in the
classroom.
Figure 6. RAPT Scores – Kindergarten, Pre-Primary
and Year 1
The Kindergarten students made consistent
improvements in their expressive language skills. The
students made particularly pleasing gains with their
sentence structure, however had difficulty using more
complex phrase and word structures. Many of the
students commenced the school year using only
single or two word utterances and most students are
now able to retell simple stories. Along with the
implementation of the NEMLDC narrative program,
the use of joint action routines and play scripts were
effective strategies for eliciting simple sentences and
introducing a basic narrative structure for Kindergarten
students.
The direction for 2014 will be to include interventions
focused on text innovations and narrative generations
(rather than narrative retells), in order to facilitate
generalisation of narrative skills. This will be evaluated
by formal narrative testing on exit from the NEMLDC.
7
COMPREHENSION
Comprehension is a significant area of difficulty for
children at the NEMLDC. It is closely linked to
working memory, semantic knowledge, syntax skills
narrative development, literacy and social skills.
As part of the NEMLDC assessment procedures, the
NEMLDC Informal Comprehension Assessment is
administered to students by teachers, speech
pathologists and therapy assistants.
Further
assessment using the Wiig Assessment of Basic
Concepts and Blank Level Questions is completed. All
of this data is used to plot each student onto a
Comprehension Skills Grid.
This process has
occurred since 2009 and is conducted collaboratively
by teachers and speech pathologists. Individual and
group goals for comprehension were set using the grid
as a framework to guide what was developmentally
appropriate for each child.
Throughout 2013 the NEMLDC focused on explicitly
teaching the different areas of comprehension as
outlined by the Comprehension Grid, including
listening/attention,
comprehension
monitoring,
problem solving, linguistic instructions, questions and
non-verbal comprehension. The NEMLDC continues
to focus on developing listening and attending skills of
students through the use of the Whole Body Listening
strategy. The strategy helps children to monitor their
own listening and attending behaviours and is used in
all NEMLDC classes and reinforced while on
excursions and at assembly time.
Figure 7. Comprehension Results – Year 1
Figure 10. Wiig Comprehension Results – K-1
In 2013 all year levels showed consistent gains in all
areas of comprehension from the beginning of the
year to the end of the year.
Areas of particular improvement in Year 1 in 2013
included following instructions of increasing length and
understanding linguistic instructions. Ares of further
need were problem solving and comprehension
monitoring, which was reflected in classroom and
playground observations and in reports from
mainstream school after transition.
Areas of gain for Pre-Primary students in 2013
compared to the previous two years included skills in
listening and attention, linguistic instructions and
nonverbal comprehension skills.
Figure 8. Comprehension Results – Pre-Primary
In Kindergarten the children made great gains in all
areas, but made the least gains in Comprehension
Monitoring, Problem Solving and Questions.
The focus for 2014 will be to continue to explicitly
teach all comprehension skills, with a particular focus
on teaching comprehension strategies within other
language contexts including oral narrative, syntax,
semantics and social skills. A further priority will be to
target Comprehension Monitoring and Problem
Solving consistently and explicitly, to equip students
with the ability to deal with conflicts in the playground
and indicate when they have not understood
something.
Figure 9. Comprehension Results – Kindergarten
8
SOCIETY & ENVIRONMENT &
SCIENCE
Figure 12. Semantics Results – Pre-Primary
Semantics
Semantic organisation refers to our knowledge of the
world and how we store that information to help us
understand it and provide information to others. It
forms the foundation for other language skills such as
comprehension and vocabulary development, as well
as the development of skills required in the areas of
Society & Environment and Science.
At the NEMLDC we focus on developing semantic
knowledge through integrated language topics that
cover areas related to the learning strands of science
and studies of society and the environment. In
Kindergarten the focus is on developing the language
and knowledge of topics that centre on the students’
immediate environment, including home, food, school
and routines. In Pre-Primary these themes are
revisited and refined and a broader range of topics,
including Australian Animals, Wild Animals, Farms,
Community, Food and Shopping, are introduced.
Again in Year 1 the themes consolidate and
supplement background knowledge as well as
introduce more abstract and diverse information,
directly related with Australian National Curriculum.
These themes include Health and Wellbeing,
Community Studies, Australian Studies, Animals and
their Habitats, Life Cycles, Weather and Gardening,
Fairytales and Fantasy, and Space.
The NEMLDC Semantics Program works on
developing semantic skills in expressive and receptive
vocabulary; categorisation and multiple exemplars;
description, comparison and definition; word
relationships and understanding abstract/non literal
language (e.g. idioms and metaphors).
Semantics has traditionally been an area of strength
at the NEMLDC, with consistent significant
improvement in all semantic skills assessed and
targeted within the Semantics program.
Figure 11. Semantics Results – Year 1
Figure 13. Semantics Results – Kindergarten
All year levels showed improvements in all areas in
the semantics program. The areas of strength for the
students include labelling and functions; associations,
categorisation, antonyms and synonyms. The areas of
most difficulty for all year levels include multiple
exemplars, description, comparison and definitions.
These results reflect the inherent difficulties of children
with Specific Language Impairment, which include
word finding difficulties and a reliance on visual
supports to complete language tasks.
In 2014, the focus for the semantics program will be to
teach the individual semantic skills in an integrated
way, and to facilitate the use of the vocabulary used in
other language contexts, e.g. narrative and writing.
This should support the generalisation of semantic
skills into everyday conversations and literacy.
LITERACY
In 2013 a formal review of the literacy program was
conducted. This process involved an in-depth review
of the evidence base for teaching phonological
awareness, phonics and spelling for children with
language impairment. The speech pathologists and
teachers worked together to make updates and
changes to the program, which included setting a
clear scope and sequence and targets for each term
and year level. Ongoing professional development
and workshops were run with the staff throughout
2013 and sessions were followed by in class
observations of classroom practice with written and
verbal feedback provided. In 2014 the literacy
9
program review will continue to be completed,
supporting the teachers and students to achieve the
targets set.
Figure 15. PA Assessment Results – K-1
% of students that achieved targets for Phoneme
Level
Phonological Awareness
At the NEMLDC Phonological Awareness (PA)
Program is implemented across the whole school.
The program was developed collaboratively by speech
pathologists and teachers for the NEMLDC and is
based largely on Stackhouse and Wells’ (1997)
Phonological Processing Model. Stackhouse and
Wells propose that the normal development of speech
processing skills is a prerequisite for normal speech
and literacy development. Therefore this model
assumes that impaired speech processing skills
underpin speech disorders (including dyspraxia and
phonological disorder), poor PA skills and literacy
difficulties (particularly spelling difficulties). The
program is structured into the four units of
phonological awareness - word, syllable, onset-rime
and phoneme, which may be mastered in a
developmental sequence (Treiman and Zukowski,
1996, cited in Stackhouse and Wells, 1997, p 19).
The research has repeatedly demonstrated that PA is
a strong predictor of literacy success. Within the
NEMLDC the teaching and monitoring of phonological
awareness is a key strategy to promote the successful
development of students’ literacy skills.
Historically, NEMLDC students from K-1 have showed
excellent gains in their PA skills across all levels of PA
targeted in the classroom. In 2013, the PA program
was reviewed and a shift in focus from targeting all
four levels of PA from K-1 was recommended, to
ensure that students are achieving results at the
phoneme level and transferring their skills to the
written form. The NEMLDC staff collaboratively
generated targets for each term for each year level,
and mapped this to the published normative data
available and the Australian National Curriculum. The
results summarised below indicate the percentage of
students who achieved the PA targets for each year
level.
With a change in the PA assessment used at the end
of 2013, a comparison of pre and post data was not
able to be made. The PA results above indicate that
not all PA targets were met for all children. This is
proposed to be due to the increase in expectation for
outcomes for each year level that relies on earlier prerequisite skills to be taught in the foundation years
(Kindergarten and Pre-Primary).
It is hypothesised that pre and post testing in 2014 will
reflect significant improvement in PA skills and a
greater percentage of students that will achieve the
targets.
Phonics and Spelling
Since Jolly Phonics, a synthetic approach to the
teaching of reading, was implemented across the
whole school in 2010, sound/letter knowledge has
shown an overall increasing trend, particularly in the
Kindergarten year. In 2013 the classroom teachers
continued to take responsibility for the administration,
scoring and analysis of the sound/letter assessment
throughout the year.
Figure 14. PA Assessment Results – K-1
% of students that achieved targets for Word,
Syllable and Onset-Rhyme Level
The school data collected in 2013 showed a
consistent improvement in Kindergarten, Pre-Primary
and Year 1 students from the beginning of the year to
the end of the year. The most improvement in ability to
name lower case letters and sounds, and consonant
and vowel digraphs, was in the Pre-Primary cohort.
This is supported by the shift in focus from oral
language and exposure to the letters and sounds in
Kindergarten, to an increase in the pace and rigour in
10
which phonics is explicitly taught in Pre-Primary. In
Year 1, the focus shifts further to the explicit teaching
of alternate vowel spellings and the teaching of
spelling rules, while consolidating sound-letter
correspondence. All year level cohorts showed
pleasing gains in their ability to name the letter names
and sounds and use this knowledge in their decoding
and spelling.
The focus for the Literacy Program in 2014 will be to
continue to support students to progress from word
level awareness through to phoneme level awareness
at a faster rate. Student outcomes in Year 1 and 2 will
also be evaluated using a more functional outcome
measure (invented spelling), that will be tested at the
beginning and end of the year, to evaluate how the
students have used their PA, phonics and spelling
skills in writing.
In 2013 teachers continued to monitor the students’
oral reading to ensure that students in Year 1 are
working at the phoneme level in PA and are provided
with many opportunities to move into literacy. To
facilitate this, a range of new reading books that
support the synthetic approach to phonics was
purchased and levelled to ensure students are
working towards the appropriate levels for their
ages.
MATHEMATICS
Achievements in 2013:
The North East Metropolitan Language Development
Centre (NEMLDC) continues to prioritise and deliver
an effective and progressive mathematical program to
continue to raise the standards in numeracy for our
students in accordance with the Focus 2012
Directions for Schools. The mathematics resources
developed by the previous Getting It Right maths
teachers, continue to be used. Teachers also focus on
developing the language of maths to ensure that,
when moving towards higher level mathematical
problem solving, the students have the language skills
required.
SOCIAL SKILLS & PRAGMATICS
Social skill development is always a critical area at the
Centre. Social skills and pragmatics are impacted by
language development, particularly comprehension.
This area is always a priority at the NEMLDC. Data is
collected by observing and recording children’s
behaviour in a range of settings throughout the year.
Information is collated in relation to our NEMLDC
social skills K-1 checklist and the Talkabout for
Children Social Skills assessment. This data is used
to determine individual student goals for the year.
In 2013 the NEMLDC Social Skills program was
formally reviewed and recommendations for changes
to the program were made. Recommendations were
made based on a literature review of the published
evidence, a critical appraisal of available social skills
intervention programs and evidence from mainstream
schools about LDC students’ social skills after
transition. As a result of the ongoing review of the
program, no formal whole school or classroom data
was collated in regards to Social Skills. Teachers used
the assessment data they had collected to inform
individual goal setting for students and to guide
classroom teaching of Social Skills.
In 2014 the NEMLDC Social Skills program will
continue to be a priority area, with an additional .6FTE
in Speech Pathology time and an additional .4FTE of
Education Assistant time dedicated to the program
development and implementation.
The NEMLDC Social Skills program focuses on the
development of self-esteem and self-awareness,
nonverbal communication (facial expression and body
language), paralinguistic skills (tone of voice),
conversation, friendship and assertiveness (including
conflict resolution). Feedback from mainstream
schools regarding NEMLDC students after transition is
that students are having difficulty playing with peers
and accessing friendship groups, dealing with conflict
and regulating their emotions.
The focus in 2014 will be to support the teachers to
explicitly teach social skills within the classroom and
provide opportunities for students to practice these
skills and receive positive reinforcement. Teaching
strategies include role play and modelling, guided
practice and application within a supportive
environment. The focus of the program will also
include targeted outdoor play opportunities for the
Year 1 and 2 cohort, in order to develop cooperative
play skills and equip them with the skills to form
friendships with peers.
Formal data collection for Social Skills will be collected
in 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of the new
intervention program and inform future directions for
2015.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
In 2013 the students continued to participate in the
daily fitness program for all students with a focus on
oral language viewed as a critical part of this program.
A Fundamental Movement Skills program is
implemented within the school to foster development
of critical skills of physical activity.
A significant number of the students have difficulties
with fundamental movement skills and present with
fine and/or gross motor difficulties. The program is
structured and developmentally appropriate and
further enhanced by the explicit instruction of the skills
within daily physical activity sessions.
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NEMLDC OUTREACH SERVICE
In 2013 the NEMLDC Outreach Service worked to
build capacity of schools in the North Metropolitan
Region (East) and the Wheat-belt. The Outreach
Service supported staff to build capacity in the areas
of language and literacy development by expanding
knowledge and leadership skills of staff within schools.
41 schools in the North Metropolitan Education
Region (East) and 33 schools in the Wheatbelt
received a service.
The Outreach Service provided the following
professional learning opportunities:
Language Leadership Schools Series: consisting of
8 whole day sessions, covering all oral language and
literacy areas, as well as leadership and coaching
skills. The series participants developed action plans
with their Principals which focused on implementing
evidence based oral language programs in their
schools and building staff knowledge in the target
language area selected (e.g. Semantics, Phonological
Awareness).
Language Leadership Schools Network: consisting
of 2 all day sessions extending selected oral language
& literacy areas, as well as leadership and coaching
skills. This series extended Teachers previously
trained in the Language Leadership Schools Series to
continue to build their language and literacy
knowledge and network with other leaders to develop
strategies to sustain high quality language
programming in their schools.
K-2 and 3-7 Focus Area Series: consisting of half
day or whole day sessions across the term focussing
on particular language areas (e.g. Phonological
Awareness/ Spelling or Semantics) targeting either
lower or middle/upper primary. These sessions were
provided for teachers, education assistants, and
AIEOs.
School-based Professional Learning sessions:
These sessions were provided for whole school
staff covering semantics; PA, phonics & beyond;
comprehension; narrative and persuasive writing.
Learning Language and Loving It: This is an
evidence-based Hanen program which focuses on
educator and student interactions to facilitate
language development. Participants were involved in
8 after school professional learning sessions and 4
video feedback sessions.
Support to Schools provided with the Aboriginal
Early Childhood Speech & Language Funding
The Aboriginal Early Childhood Speech and Language
Initiative funded additional Support Officer Speech
and Language (SOSL) positions to support schools
across the state with a particular focus on improving
educational outcomes for Aboriginal students in
Kindergarten to Year 1. This funding was used by the
schools to support the development of a Key
Language Leader within their school. The Outreach
Service built capacity of these Leaders through
providing professional development, in class
modelling, assistance with whole school planning and
consultation with relevant staff. Providing this support
to these schools resulted in improved literacy
outcomes. Narrogin Primary School reported the
following outcomes as a result of the service provided.
“The Pre and Post test data shows a significant improvement
across all areas of semantics in each year level. Being involved
in the trial for our school has meant refocussing on oral
language as being an integral part of learning in the early years
and as an important part of learning for all students, especially
those that may be struggling due to „gaps‟ in their oral language
development.
The professional learning opportunities that have been made
available to schools within our district and in particular to our
school, have been of significant value. Both teachers and
education assistants have gained valuable knowledge,
resources and techniques that can be used to help all of our
students in a positive way.
It has been interesting to see that for our Aboriginal students
who may have difficulties in maintaining regular attendance at
school, that having a focussed and explicit approach towards
teaching oral language skills, that they are continuing to show
significant improvements, which has been wonderful to see.
I would personally like to show my gratification for being given
this opportunity to work in an area that I have a great passion
for. The development of oral language in our children is so
important to their development and it has been really satisfying
looking at the difference we can make for our children. The role
has had a positive outcome for our school both in results and in
beginning discussions about developments that our school will
look at in the future.
The North East LDC Outreach Service has offered our school
support and encouragement to develop positive programmes
and policies that will ensure that we are offering the best
education possible to our students into the future and the
professional learning that I have been fortunate enough to
receive this year has given me a new perspective towards
teaching within my own classroom.”
Narrogin Primary School
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North East Metropolitan Language Development Centre
Financial Summary as at 31 December 2013
Revenue-Cash
Voluntary Contributions
Charges and Fees
Government Allowances
P&C Contributions
Fundraising/Donations/Sponsorships
DOE Grants
Other State Govt Grants
Commonwealth Govt Grants
Trading Activities
Other
Internal Transfers
Total
Opening Balance
Total Funds Available
Budget
$ 11,795.00
$ 13,237.00
$
0.00
$
400.00
$ 1,370.00
$ 263,128.00
$
110.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$ 32,474.00
$ 9,922.00
$ 332,436.00
$ 179,095.00
$ 511,531.00
Actual
$ 11,795.00
$ 13,237.00
$
0.00
$
400.00
$ 1,370.00
$ 263,127.74
$
109.20
$
0.00
$
0.00
$ 32,475.12
$ 9,922.00
$ 332,436.06
$ 179,094.52
$ 511,530.58
Expenditure
Administration
Leases
Utilities
Repairs/Maintenance/Grounds
Capital Works
Assets and Resources
Education Services
Other Specific Programs
Trading Activities
Salary Pool Payments to Central Office
Other
Transfer to reserves
Budget
$ 26,527.00
$
0.00
$ 3,527.00
$ 56,368.00
$ 47,160.00
$ 63,427.00
$ 92,967.00
$ 126,435.00
$
0.00
$ 12,446.00
$ 61,500.50
$ 20,000.00
$ 510,357.50
Actual
$ 23,003.36
$
0.00
$ 3,114.46
$ 42,218.22
$ 47,160.36
$ 62,220.99
$ 86,973.46
$ 1,227.35
$
0.00
$ 12,446.00
$ 40,081.08
$ 20,000.00
$ 338,445.28
Cash Position as at 31 December 2013
Bank Balance
$ 235,730.87
Made up of:
General Fund Balance
$ 173,085.30
Deductible Gift Funds
$ 1,888.78
Trust Funds
$
0.00
Asset Replacement Reserves
$ 59,130.32
Suspense Accounts
$ 3,162.47
Cash Advances
$
100.00
Tax Position
$ 1,436.00
Total Bank Balance
$ 235,730.87
The financial data listed above reflects the school budget of the North East Metropolitan Language
Development Centre with the operational budget of the State-wide Speech and Language Service
contained therein.
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